In a Berlin hotel café, Masih Alinejad captured the attention of patrons and her German government bodyguards as she passionately sang in Farsi. “I bloom through my wounds and my scars,” she conveyed from the lyrics, emphasizing her identity, “Because I am a woman. I am a woman. I am a woman.”
Her powerful performance served as a bold declaration of defiance in response to disturbing revelations from the U.S. Justice Department about Iranian assassination plots targeting her and former President Donald Trump. Alinejad brought attention to the fact that several Iranian women have faced imprisonment simply for expressing themselves through song.
The Iranian American human rights activist was in Berlin on Saturday to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall, alongside fellow human rights advocates from around the world. In an interview, she expressed that, although shaken by the news, her resolve to champion women’s rights in Iran is stronger than ever.
“They want to eliminate me,” Alinejad, aged 48, stated, referring to the Iranian regime. “When they want me dead, it implies I’m making an impact. I’m alarming them by amplifying the voices of powerful women.” Throughout the conversation, she defiantly raised her fist, a symbol of her resistance.
The Justice Department recently announced charges against an individual implicated in an assassination scheme against Trump, orchestrated by a government official before the upcoming elections. This individual, Farhad Shakeri, an alleged Iranian operative with a history of criminal activity in the U.S., reportedly enlisted associates for various plots linked to Tehran, including surveillance and murder-for-hire schemes.
Shakeri remains at large in Iran while two other men, Jonathan Loadholt and Carlisle Rivera, have been arrested for their involvement in efforts to track and assassinate Alinejad. The Justice Department claims that over months, they surveilled her movements and exchanged messages and photographs related to their plans to kill her.
In February, they traveled to Fairfield University in Connecticut, where Alinejad was scheduled to speak, to document the campus. In April, Shakeri sent Rivera voice messages discussing the attempt to locate Alinejad. One communication suggested patience in waiting for an opportunity to “catch her either going in the house or coming out.”
“It is terrifying. However, I feel grateful that U.S. law enforcement is watching over me,” Alinejad recounted her discussions with security officials. “The same individual targeting President Trump was also instructed to kill me. That’s a badge of honor to carry,” she added, reflecting on the gravity of the situation.
In response, Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, dismissed the allegations. He labeled the claims as disinformation propagated by entities affiliated with Israel, designed to complicate Iran-U.S. relations, according to IRNA.
Alinejad has become a significant voice on Farsi-language satellite channels that critique the Iranian government. She has worked with the U.S.-funded Voice of America’s Farsi network since 2015. Fleeing Iran after the controversial 2009 presidential election, she acquired U.S. citizenship in October 2019.
She criticized the Iranian government for its continued oppression of women, particularly regarding the enforced wearing of the hijab, despite the protests following Mahsa Amini’s death two years ago. The persistent threats against her life only fuel her determination to amplify the voices of courageous women in Iran, who confront similar threats daily.